Helpful Articles

Brenda Imus

This site is dedicated to Brenda Imus- who dedicated her life to her family and friends, as well as to her enormous gaited horse family. She will always be missed! -More About Brenda Here

Imus 4-Beat® Elite

The Imus 4-Beat® Elitesaddle offers all the quality and durability of the all-leather 4-Beat® saddle, but at a much lighter weight,and price!

$1795

Only 24 lbs fully rigged

Structurally identical to the full leather version

Denier synthetic parts, offering durability with water and dirt resistance

See what Imus 4-Beat Saddles are in Stock and on Sale!

In anticipation of our price increases, we stocked up on a bunch of new Imus 4-Beat Saddles. These saddles are still available at the original prices, so you can save over $300 off the cost of a "Build Your Own" Saddle! Check back often as we have more on the way, plus new colors and styles coming.

Is it time to reevaluate your saddle fit for the upcoming riding season? Our horses work so hard for it. They're worth it! Here's a link that outlines logical tests to run to help you evaluate your saddle's fit.

Imus 4-Beat & Phoenix Rising Legacy Saddles Features and Info Part 1

In this video we break down a few of the key features of the Imus 4-Beat and Phoenix Rising Legacy Saddles. Discussed are the flexible tree, leather suspended ground seat, and Supracor material built under the bars of the tree and skirting. Our 14 day trial and expert fitting benefits are discussed.

Gaited Horse Saddle Fitting and Equitation (VIDEO)

A big topic of discussion is the best gaited horse saddle and tack for your gaited horse. Brenda Imus advocated for the sound training and riding techniques of the gaited horse. She developed a gaited saddle that has unique features that allows horses to move with complete freedom of movement, which is the cornerstone of developing an evenly timed 4-beat gait in good form. Gaited horses require an unusual degree of freedom of movement from back to front through their back, neck and poll. This presents a variety of challenges when fitting a gaited horse. In this saddle fitting video, Brenda Imus discusses gaited horse saddle fitting, conformation, different types of saddle trees, and how equitation affects your horse's movement. Discusses features of the Imus 4-Beat Gaited ® Saddle. (22 minutes)

Video: Bitting the Gaited (and non-gaited) Horse

In this video Brenda Imus demonstrates the dynamics of commonly used bits for both gaited and non-gaited horses. Informative and easy to understand, Brenda breaks down how different horse bits function in your horse's mouth when you take on the rein and explains why a bit should not be used to 'make gait'. A nicely designed bit will allow your horse to comfortably collect and round up under the rider while softening through the neck, poll, head and mouth.

How to Check for Saddle Fit

Does your gaited horse spook a lot? Do you have a problem with rushing, or is the horse herd bound or barn sour? Perhaps you hate that uncomfortable pace, but can’t seem to train him to the smoother gait you expected? Your problems may all be a result of your horse responding to a saddle that is causing pain. When I first started working with a wide variety of gaited horses, it became increasingly apparent that many common problems originated with discomfort experienced as the result of improper saddle fit, and dynamics. These are two separate, but related, issues.

Saddle fit – especially for Western style saddles – can be a problem because many...

FAQ

Dealing With a Pokey Young Horse

Because I have to "push" him to get any forward momentum but then need to pull him back down once I get it because he breaks into a trot won't I be working against myself in instilling the gait in him? I have a really hard time getting this guy to collect as any contact with the bit seems to slow him too much or stop him all together. Read More